NTSC TVs cannot accept PAL signal and a 110 volts TV cannot accept 220 volts current - Straight and simple. My uncle carried a Samsung SyncMaster T23A350 from US for me and this post will take you through what I did to make it up and running.
220v to 110v Step down Transformer:
Maxine is a good brand for transformers and you can buy them in any of the electronics stores near you. (I bought mine from Mercy Electronics, Anna Nagar, Chennai). The important parameter to consider is your TV's wattage, although all US TVs are 110v they don't fall under same wattage, My 23 inches, Full HD, LED Samsung required 50 Watts, You can find it in the back panel of your TV or in the manual. According to the little understanding I have about electronics, Watts should increase with the size of your TV. So if yours is a bigger TV, then please make note of the watts required while purchasing a step down transformer.
Generally, it is good to go for a transformer which can handle higher wattage, more than what is required for your TV. Although my TV required only 50 watts, I bought a 100 watts transformer. This solves 2 problems, firstly, your transformer will not over heat. Secondly, you can add one more 110v gadget using a multipin (like Cordless Phone or other adapters which requires 5 - 20 watts).
Cost of 50 watts 110v Maxine transformer was Rs. 290 and 100 watts/110v was Rs. 690 (Oct, 2013)
Maxine is a good brand for transformers and you can buy them in any of the electronics stores near you. (I bought mine from Mercy Electronics, Anna Nagar, Chennai). The important parameter to consider is your TV's wattage, although all US TVs are 110v they don't fall under same wattage, My 23 inches, Full HD, LED Samsung required 50 Watts, You can find it in the back panel of your TV or in the manual. According to the little understanding I have about electronics, Watts should increase with the size of your TV. So if yours is a bigger TV, then please make note of the watts required while purchasing a step down transformer.
Generally, it is good to go for a transformer which can handle higher wattage, more than what is required for your TV. Although my TV required only 50 watts, I bought a 100 watts transformer. This solves 2 problems, firstly, your transformer will not over heat. Secondly, you can add one more 110v gadget using a multipin (like Cordless Phone or other adapters which requires 5 - 20 watts).
Cost of 50 watts 110v Maxine transformer was Rs. 290 and 100 watts/110v was Rs. 690 (Oct, 2013)
NTSC to PAL Conversion:
There are two options here, you can go for a video signal converter or buy a DTH connection which can support your TV. When I tried connecting my local Cable with a F type converter, all I got was B/W channels without audio, later when I googled for video converters, they were rather expensive (Rs. 2000+ for the ones with RCA pins). So, I decided to buy a DTH connection and started evaluating service providers in India, (with the help of my FB friends).
Trust me, not every HD DTH connection will work, even though these are digital signals, they require some hardware/software to do 50hz to 60 hz frame rate conversion. Indian TVs work with 50Hz frame rate whereas US TVs work on 60 Hz. After reading quite a lot from other forums, I shortlisted DISH and Videocon D2H. (I compared Reliance BIG, TATA Sky, Airtel - They don't work, I even spoke to an Airtel Technician, who said, some of his installations in US bought TVs did not work)
Videocon D2H seemed to be economic, I booked it in a store nearby and I got it installed by the technician on the same day. So, with all high hopes, we turned on the TV, connecting the setup box with an HDMI cable and to our surprise we got "Mode not supported" error. So we connected the STB and TV with RCA cable and got some B/W imageswith Audio, I tried changing the video resolution and frame rate by navigating in to STB's "Box settings" menu (You might require a password, use '1234') But the error persisted, when we connected the HDMI.
Videocon's technician contacted his technical support department and assured us that it can be sorted out with a firmware update on the set top box, as promised, he returned the next day with this firmware update in a USB drive. It was all done in ten minutes and we were already enjoying the wonderful picture quality. Thanks to Samsung and Videocon. Cost of Videocon D2H with HD Set top box, installation and one month free subscription was Rs. 3350.
On the other hand, My uncle opted for DISH TV for his LED 55" 3D LED and it worked like a charm (No S/W updates were required). So, if you are one among the many going through this confusing DTH selection process, be assured, DISH and Videocon will surely work.
Happy watching!
There are two options here, you can go for a video signal converter or buy a DTH connection which can support your TV. When I tried connecting my local Cable with a F type converter, all I got was B/W channels without audio, later when I googled for video converters, they were rather expensive (Rs. 2000+ for the ones with RCA pins). So, I decided to buy a DTH connection and started evaluating service providers in India, (with the help of my FB friends).
Trust me, not every HD DTH connection will work, even though these are digital signals, they require some hardware/software to do 50hz to 60 hz frame rate conversion. Indian TVs work with 50Hz frame rate whereas US TVs work on 60 Hz. After reading quite a lot from other forums, I shortlisted DISH and Videocon D2H. (I compared Reliance BIG, TATA Sky, Airtel - They don't work, I even spoke to an Airtel Technician, who said, some of his installations in US bought TVs did not work)
Videocon D2H seemed to be economic, I booked it in a store nearby and I got it installed by the technician on the same day. So, with all high hopes, we turned on the TV, connecting the setup box with an HDMI cable and to our surprise we got "Mode not supported" error. So we connected the STB and TV with RCA cable and got some B/W imageswith Audio, I tried changing the video resolution and frame rate by navigating in to STB's "Box settings" menu (You might require a password, use '1234') But the error persisted, when we connected the HDMI.
Videocon's technician contacted his technical support department and assured us that it can be sorted out with a firmware update on the set top box, as promised, he returned the next day with this firmware update in a USB drive. It was all done in ten minutes and we were already enjoying the wonderful picture quality. Thanks to Samsung and Videocon. Cost of Videocon D2H with HD Set top box, installation and one month free subscription was Rs. 3350.
On the other hand, My uncle opted for DISH TV for his LED 55" 3D LED and it worked like a charm (No S/W updates were required). So, if you are one among the many going through this confusing DTH selection process, be assured, DISH and Videocon will surely work.
Happy watching!
Update: 31/7/2014 - My TV stopped working from last week. Have not found the reason yet, it just doesn't get switched on.
Update 21/8/2014 - I approached Samsung Service Center last week, to my surprise, they quoted Rs. 5500 as service charge to even come and diagnose the problem with my TV. I was told that, all Samsung TV's billed out side India will be charged like this for service. Please note the quote was just to visit and identify the problem, no spares included! :(
Update: 22/9/2014 - A local electronics guy tried repairing the TV, he said the mains board has got a problem and should be replaced. Unfortunately there was no board available in the market (He quoted around Rs. 4000 for such a replacement and Rs. 500 as labour). They were also not ready to do board level servicing, google search reveals that problem should be with some capacitors. But I should just say that we don't have any qualified technician to repair it. I paid him Rs. 200 for diagnosis. TV has been packed and stored in loft once again! + when I asked him to take my TV for spares, I was offered Rs. 2,000 stating that this Samsung T23A350 is made in CHINA and it is pretty much worthless!
Update 21/8/2014 - I approached Samsung Service Center last week, to my surprise, they quoted Rs. 5500 as service charge to even come and diagnose the problem with my TV. I was told that, all Samsung TV's billed out side India will be charged like this for service. Please note the quote was just to visit and identify the problem, no spares included! :(
Update: 22/9/2014 - A local electronics guy tried repairing the TV, he said the mains board has got a problem and should be replaced. Unfortunately there was no board available in the market (He quoted around Rs. 4000 for such a replacement and Rs. 500 as labour). They were also not ready to do board level servicing, google search reveals that problem should be with some capacitors. But I should just say that we don't have any qualified technician to repair it. I paid him Rs. 200 for diagnosis. TV has been packed and stored in loft once again! + when I asked him to take my TV for spares, I was offered Rs. 2,000 stating that this Samsung T23A350 is made in CHINA and it is pretty much worthless!
